


A Bard's notes to an Ordinary Journey

by Veiledbyamask (LegionOfMany)



Category: Dungeons & Dragons (Roleplaying Game), Dungeons & Dragons - All Media Types
Genre: Dungeons & Dragons 5th Edition, I have no idea what to tag this as, Lots of Aasimar-Tiefling bickering, Multi, Tal'Dorei Campaign Setting, Warnings will be added as we go bc the campaign is still ongoing, and we have no idea what awaits us, featuring a confused wood elf
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-04-09
Updated: 2019-04-18
Packaged: 2020-01-07 10:40:43
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 5,535
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18408968
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LegionOfMany/pseuds/Veiledbyamask
Summary: The events of a Tal'Dorei campaign, following my Tiefling Bard, Neah, and their companions on this completely normal and totally average road trip.





	1. New Beginnings

With a sigh, Neah plopped down onto one of the unoccupied chairs, blowing a stray strand of white hair out of their face, carelessly flicking a leaf off their star-sprinkled cloak. Undoubtedly an accidental souvenir from the Bramblewood Forests. As if their sore feet wouldn't be reminder enough!

They had arrived at the Turst Fields just barely an hour ago, successfully escorting their client, a merchant going by the name of Lucius Berr, and his wares safely through the woods. With their duty done, they had received their payment from the man, said their farewells and gone to seek out the nearest tavern just around dusk. A short walk through the town eventually lead them to the Merchant's Joy; a simple-looking but well maintained taphouse - which was where the small group was now getting comfortable, taking seats around one of the tables that was still available.

Once they had made sure, that no more remaining foliage clung to their attire and hair, Neah shifted their attention to their current companions again, pink eyes mustering them one after another. Complete strangers to each other, the four of them had ended up crossing paths by mere chance, hired by the same man for the same quest. The few days on the road hadn't been _unpleasant_ by any means, yet they had not been long enough for the Tiefling to really build an opinion on the three fellow adventurers.

The first among their companions was a young human wizard, who had introduced himself as Idras upon their first meeting. An amicable individual to say the least, and the most talkative among them. While a bit mousy and awkward at times, he had quickly shown himself to be quite the capable magician, if his skill in the squabbles with bandits along the road was anything to go by. A skill he was now using to earn his wages.

Then there was Brynn. Neah was quite used to travelling with people taller than them, yet still the Wood Elf was certainly eye catching with his height. With his lanky and slender build, as was common for most elves, his appearance belied his physical strength. As a paladin of the Wildmother, he wielded his emblazoned shield and club with a power that one would not have expected in the slightest. While slightly less talkative than Idras, giving off the air of a dreamer, Neah found themselves enjoying the presence of the mild-natured elf, often observing them in his woodcarving while they themselves would entertain the group with their music. While far from a religious person and therefor not quite able to relate to his devotion to his deity, artistry was something they had in common.

And, at last, there was Talion… He was a mystery in various ways, to say the least. Armor wrapped with black cloth and a large hood obscuring his face, his first impression was of a man posing a greater threat than the bandits out there would have been. Seeming human at first sight, the man had revealed himself to be an Aasimar instead however – which explained the… _mild_ hostility he had greeted Neah with at first. However, during the few days on the road, he had eventually warmed up to them and the rest of the group more, his snide remarks losing some of their vicious edge and instead shifting towards what _could_ be considered friendly banter, if one would feel generous. A Paladin like Brynn, Talion served the Platinum Dragon however, taking every chance to try and convince people of Bahamut’s greatness.

Needless to say, there were quite the _odd_ group, a conglomeration of people which, under other circumstances, would most likely have _never_ ended up travelling together. At first, the bard had been admittedly _worried_ about whether or not they would be able to work together. But it turned out that, despite their differences in abilities, interests and personalities, they were more than capable of cooperating and – dare they say it! – even made quite the good team in combat.

Lost in thoughts like this, the Tiefling almost missed when a small form approached their table, only realising someone had stepped up to them when they already stood right next to them, making the bard flinch in surprise. A halfling, sporting the biggest and most majestic moustache Neah had ever laid eyes upon, had walked towards them, an expression of mild worry on his face.

“Good evening folks. Name’s Tristan, owner of this place. What can I bring you all?”

“Ale.”, came cue Talion’s response. Again Neah was simply _amazed_ how a man with a perma-bad mood and usually murderous expression could have such a beautiful voice. A waste, really.

Tristan nodded, expression still as worried as he jutted down a note on a piece of parchment. Slowly it began to dawn on Neah, that this was probably just his standard expression.

“Aye, that can be arranged. The rest of you?”

“Cider.”, the Tiefling decided after a moment of consideration, mindful of their accent while pronouncing the word. Despite travelling Tal’Dorei for _years_ now, the language still posed somewhat of a challenge to them at times. However, judging by the halfling’s nod, he had understood them well enough.

“A cider for me as well.” Like Talion, Brynn too had a very pleasant voice, speaking with a softness that stood in harsh contrast to the other paladin’s speech. Would they mayhap let Neah convince them into joining them for a song once? They would have to try later.

Once the tavern owner’s eyes fell upon Idras, the young man leaned forward just the slightest bit, momentarily fidgeting with his spellbook in the same nervous fashion Neah had already gotten used to from him.

“Do you have anything, uh… stronger?”

For a moment, the halfling was quiet, simply mustering Idras with a blank face, before giving a mild shrug, deciding that it wasn’t up to him to judge people for their choices. “We have firewhiskey if that tickles your fancy more?”

“Sure, I’ll take that.”

Nodding again, muttering something about being right back, Tristan shuffled away to fetch the ordered drinks, leaving the group sitting in awkward silence. Although they _had_ all come to the same tavern together, none of them had ever decided to remain in this party… and now with their original quest over, they were basically back to being random strangers to each other. Not exactly the best of initial situations to start a casual conversation. Thankfully, only a few minutes passed before the halfling man returned, carrying jugs and glasses with their ordered drinks.

They were distributed among the table quickly, each receiving their respective beverage. Lifting their cup to their lips, Neah took a moment to relish in the taste and scent of apples, when a sudden flame to their left made them jump in their seat, almost spilling the contents of their cup all over their lap. Turning their head into the direction the flame had shot forth from, the bard was just in time to see the last few wisps of fire lick past Idras’ lips as he exhaled, looking just as startled as everyone else around the table. For a moment, neither of them spoke or moved a single inch, until Idras slowly glanced down at his glass of firewhiskey with an odd sparkle in his eyes.

“This stuff… is _good_ …”

At once the tension on the table was lifted, both Brynn and Neah bursting into laughter and even Talion’s lips curling into a grin as the wizard eagerly went for another gulp. Already leaning back a little in anticipation for another burst of flame, the group watched in amusement as Idras prepared himself, swallowing the clear liquid. However, before they got to see any results, a loud crash from the entrance caused them to jump, flaming liquor immediately forgotten as they all turned to see what was causing the commotion. A woman, dressed in finer clothing than what Neah had seen on most of the other people so far, had just burst her way into the tavern, her long blond hair in disarray as she stomped her way through the inn, uncaringly pushing through the patrons in her way.

At first the white haired bard thought, that there were peonies or something similar embroidered on her dress, before they realised with a shudder that they were instead looking at large splotches of a dark, red liquid scattered all over the front of her clothes.

“OAKHEART!”

Her voice was shrill as she called out to one of the guests sitting by the counter, uncaringly stepping around Tristan who had rushed up to meet her in an attempt to stop her in her path.

“You killed him! You turned my husband into a beast and took him from me!!”

The man which Neah assumed to be Oakheart had gotten up by now, dark brows furrowed as the blonde rushed towards him. For someone accused of murder he seemed oddly unconcerned, seeming more bothered than actually worried. Yet that changed rather quickly, when he spotted the figures which had followed the woman into the tavern: A handful of guards were making their way around the various tables, approaching him as well. The halfling owner had also gathered his wits again, trying to defuse the situation or at the very least make them get the hell out of his inn.

One of the soldiers had caught up to the bloodied lady by now, gently pulling her away from Oakheart and a little to the side where she dissolved into tears. Where it had once been dead silent when the blonde had burst into the tavern, the air was now filled with murmurs and hushed voices, various patrons craning their necks to get a better look at the scene that was unfolding before them. Now that the shouting had stopped, making out what the guards and the accused murderer were talking about was almost impossible from where the group was seated. But after a short discussion, the man named Oakheard gave a begrudging nod, visibly displeased but not making a ruckus as the guards guided him back out of the inn, leaving its confused patrons and the sobbing blonde behind.

For a moment, all group members turned to glance at each other simultaneously, before they came to a silent agreement and pushed their chairs back from the table. Weaving their way around the tables, the buzzing of hushed voices discussing what had just gone down, Neah carefully approached the weeping woman. The last guard had stepped away from her by now, clearly at a loss about what to do.

Mindful not to get too close in order to avoid startling her, the Tiefling came to a halt and rummaged through their bags to procure a handkerchief. Offering it to the woman, they waited patiently for her to take it, taking a moment to examine her silently. Relieved to find that, despite the blood on her clothes, she seemed unharmed, the bard began to speak.

“Um, we are terribly sorry for approaching you like this… But we overheard what you said just now. Could you tell us what happened? Is there anything we could do for you?”

“You said your husband turned into a beast,” added Idras, glancing at her in worry as well. “What did you mean by that?”

The blonde sniffled, dabbing away her tears before drawing a shaky breath and straightening herself a little, finally meeting their gazes. Up close now, Neah noticed that she was quite the beauty, even through her tear stained face and reddened eyes. Their earlier suspicion confirmed, they could easily tell now that she was someone of slightly higher standing.

“Yes, he… My husband, Iago, he had been sickly for a while. A persistent cough, you see… nothing too serious, but still a hindrance. To help him, we’ve bought a remedy from Bronden Oakheart - a powder he had to dissolve and take in the mornings. Oakheart had promised that it would work more efficiently than any other medicine.”

Her voice turned bitter as she talked about the man and his remedies, her jaw tightening and her hands clutching onto the handkerchief hard enough for her knuckles to turn white.

“At first nothing happened. We thought it would just need some time to be effective, so he kept taking it every morning. But… then, today he-“

Voice faltering, fresh tears welled up in her eyes, hands beginning to tremble. However, much to her credit, she just needed to take another deep breath, frustratedly wiping the tears away before continuing.

“We were out after closing our shop for today. He hadn’t been any different from usual. But, on the streets, he suddenly… _changed._ His… his entire body began to shift and grow, fur spreading on his skin. And before I knew what was happening, my husband had already lunged at a nearby woman. I tried to stop him, I- I called out to him… But…”

Despite her efforts, the blonde had once again begun to cry, shoulders shaking as fresh wet trails appeared on her cheeks.

“The guards… there was no other way to stop him, he simply wouldn’t calm down. He didn’t even seem to recognize me. They had no other choice but to… to kill him. If they hadn’t, then he would have torn that woman and maybe even _me_ to shreds.”

Reaching out, unable to simply stand there and watch, Neah placed a hand onto the lady’s shoulder, giving it a gentle squeeze. They could relate to her feeling of loss far too well. Talion was still observing her sharply, not saying a single word as instead his bright blue eyes seemed to try and stare directly into her soul. In fact, Neah wasn’t even sure if that wasn’t in fact exactly what he _was_ doing. Next to them however, Brynn had also stepped closer, a sympathetic expression on his face as the tall elf lowered his head a little, his hand finding its place on the backrest of her chair.

“We’re sorry for your loss.”

When the woman lifted her head to look at them again, her eyes were almost _pleading_ this time.

“Iago would _never_ do something like this, you must believe me! He was a soft, kind man… a coward, some would say. A great salesman, but by no means a fighter! He would never – he _could_ never do such a thing! Oakheart must have poisoned or cursed him.”

The idea of a poison capable of turning people into monsters didn’t sit too well with Neah, eyebrows furrowing the faintest bit as they shot a glance at their party members, before turning back to the blonde.

“Where did this happen?”

She sniffled again, looking down at the handkerchief in her fingers.

“Another inn… the Gilded Lily. We were just coming out from there, when he… the guards are looking for evidence now.”

Tristan, the halfling tavern owner who had been standing a little off this entire time, now stepped in, placing a strong hand onto the woman’s shoulder. His expression was even more worried looking, if such a thing was even possible.

“There there. Let’s get you something to drink first and wait here.”

Nodding and looking incredibly tired, she awkwardly fidgeted with the handkerchief, before holding it out to Neah again. The Tiefling quickly shook their head however, gently pushing her hands back down again.

“Please, keep it. We will give you some space now. But if anything else happens, feel free to ask for us – or, well, me.”

Brynn and Idras both reaffirmed that offer with nods while Talion still only watched in silence. Gratitude evident in her face, the blonde nodded once more, before allowing Tristan to lead her a little ways away to a quieter and more shielded section of the inn.

For a moment, the group just stood there, watching after her, before Idras eventually cleared his throat.

“So, uh… what now?”

Exchanging looks with their companions, the bard could tell that they all seemed to have the same idea about this entire situation.

“Well,” Talion spoke up for the first time ever since this all had transpired, “I’d say we have a murder scene to go look at.”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *cue CSI Miami intro*


	2. Of Wolf and Man

The trip to the Gilded Lily took longer than anticipated, the group soon realising that not only did they had never been in the Turst Fields before, but also had they not even asked in which parts of town the tavern laid. Talion’s confidence as he declared he would lead this search, quickly vanished as he ended up just leading them in circles. Yet after about half an hour of searching, Brynn eventually spotted the establishment in question, pointing it out to his fellow partymembers.

A large group of guards had gathered in front of the Lily, gathered around a single center point. As the party drew closer, they could quickly see what was drawing the attention: on the paved road, a drying pool of blood spread around it like a halo, was the corpse of what looked unmistakably like a lycanthrope. Matted fur covered the entire body, once fancy clothes torn in several places to give way to the new physiology. The face, formed into an elongated snout, was frozen in a perpetual snarl, revealing sharp teeth. Neah shuddered, quickly averting their eyes as instead they approached the closest guard, Brynn following closely.

The guard in question meanwhile was eyeing them suspiciously, stepping into their path to obstruct them as he straightened a little, shooting a glance at the cloaked figure of Talion especially.

“Can I help you?”

Before Neah could speak up, the aforementioned Paladin already had stepped forward, blue eyes affixed to the guard.

“We’re here to take a look at the corpse. His wife explained the situation to us, telling us where to find her husband. As a follower and representative of Bahamut, I ask you to let us take a look at his body.”

As if to emphasize his words he brought up a gloved hand to tug a pendant free from within his armor, revealing it to the guard. A simple piece, nothing too pompous, depicting the head of a dragon – a symbol which even Neah recognized as that of the platinum dragon.

How that was going to help them was a mystery to the bard. Far from religious, they were _fairly_ respectful towards the various gods and their followers, but also not entirely understanding the entire hype. However, as the soldier spotted the emblem, his eyes widened a little, gaze flickering back to Talion’s face before giving a quick nod.

“I understand. Please, take a look.”

Stepping aside, he quickly made way for the paladin, the group following him in astonishment. Soon they reached the corpse, forming a semi-circle around it as they investigated – some more than others, Neah quickly deciding to direct their attention elsewhere again. A couple of minutes passed, all of them just standing there in silence, before Brynn spoke up.

“I don’t know much about werewolves but this one looks kinda… wrong.”

_Maybe it’s the fact that it’s dead,_ Neah thought, but reluctantly spared another glance at the body. Now that the Wood Elf pointed it out, the lycanthrope did indeed look… odd. There were _plenty_ of songs telling of the horrors of werepeople, _some_ telling of their glory, but all tended to describe their transformation and appearance at least _somewhat._ _This_ one, while still unsettling, seemed like someone had tried to recreate the image of a werewolf after a vague description. The snout was too long for that of a wolf, the limbs elongated and shaped weirdly as well.

“Now that you say it…”, Idras frowned, his fingers nervously trailing along the spine of his spellbook. Then, seeming to make a decision, he flipped it open, searching for the correct page before looking at the rest of the team. “I’m gonna see if I detect any, uh… magic on him? Maybe this isn’t what it seems to be.”

Brynn’s and Neah’s faces both lit up at the wizard’s good thinking, nodding in agreement as he dropped down, careful to avoid sitting into any blood as he began to mutter arcane incantations under his breath. Talion meanwhile just stared at the body for a few more second, before turning around towards the guard that had let them through just earlier.

“Say, did you find anything strange in his belongings?”

The question seemed to startle the man, making him pause a moment as he seemed to be recalling what had been found on the body.

“Aye, actually… There was a pouch with some sort of powder in it. None of us could figure out what it is, so we were gonna take it to the local doctor to have it checked.”

“Show me, please.”

For a moment the soldier seemed to be hesitating, glancing back down at the pendant around Talion’s neck. However, after a moment he seemed to come to the conclusion that the paladin could be trusted, nodding slowly.

“Sure. If you would follow, then.”

Glad to get a chance to step away from the mutilated corpse, Neah quickly followed after the Aasimar, leaving Brynn and Idras alone by Iago’s body, ignoring the pointed look Talion shot at them from the side. Powder sounded _much_ more enjoyable than a dead wolfman. Together they went after the soldier as he led them towards a small carriage, standing a little ways off. Neah recognized it as one of the vehicles most often used to transport the dead to the mortuary.

Watching in awkward silence, the odd pair waited for a moment while the guard rummaged through a bag, before turning back to them with a small leather pouch in his hand. Pulling open the string that held it together, Neah leaned forward as they watched him reveal a fine white powder contained in the leather.

“According to his wife, that’s the remedy he got from Bronden Oakheart. We can’t really tell what it is, but it might be the reason that the poor fellow turned like this. Some sort of drug, maybe?”

Taking a closer look at the pouch’s contents, Neah frowned. While not one to _take_ them, their past had had them encounter various drugs during their lifetime, making them quite familiar with most of them.

“If it is one, then it’s none that I’m familiar with.”

They could almost _feel_ Talion raising an eyebrow as he turned slightly to look at them.

“You got experience with drugs?”

“Maybe.”

“Why doesn’t that surprise me?”

Now it was the Tiefling’s turn to shoot him a pointed glance before flashing the guard an amicable smile.

“Mind if I take a closer look? I won’t do anything weird with it, promise.”

By now, the man had seemingly given up on trying to hold this group back in any way, just silently dropping the pouch into the bard’s outstretched hand and allowing them to examine it closely. Next to them, Talion had also leaned in a little closer, peering at the presumed drug over their shoulder.

“… I mean I’m no expert, but this looks kind of like _flour_.”

Before either of the men could react to that statement, they were interrupted by a shout from the sides, all three of them turning their heads in unison. Some of the guard’s companions had brought a stretcher, carrying the dead body – now tastefully covered with a white cloth – on it and towards the carriage. Behind them, following, were Brynn and Idras. Returning the pouch, Neah quickly stepped out of the way to let them through, watching silently, before a thought came to them.

“Oh! The woman that was attacked, is she alive?”

The guard, busy closing up the pouch and returning it to Iago’s belonging, nodded, taking a moment before talking.

“Gabriela, yes. She’s alive alright. We brought her to the infirmary so she could get patched up. Luckily we were quick to react before any more damage was done.”

With that, he gave a quick salute and small nod to Talion, before turning around and helping the others with cleaning up, leaving the group alone. By now, Idras and Brynn had caught up to them, stepping closer.

“Well? Any weird stuff going on with the guy?”, asked Talion as soon as Idras was close enough. The wizard only shook his head somewhat crestfallen, tucking away the spellbook he had still be carrying.

“Couldn’t detect anything. What about you? Found anything interesting?”

“Flour.”, replied Neah flatly.

“A clue.”, retorted Talion.

Brynn looked from one at the other, eyebrows knitting together in confusion. “I have no idea what that is supposed to mean.”

“It means,” continued the Aasimar, “that the so-called remedy from Oakheart is actually just cheap trickery. Doesn’t mean that he is innocent though.”

“Ooh, intrigue. I like it.”, Idras said with newfound excitement.

Brynn’s expression cleared, his smile returning to his lips. “I think we should pay him a visit tomorrow then. Find out what is going on here.”

“Also, we should visit the lady that got attacked! We know she’s at the infirmary now. Maybe she can tell us something more?”, Neah threw in. The others nodded in agreement, their plans for the coming day apparently settled with this.

With the body gone and the late hour, there wasn’t much left for them to do for now, the group slowly making their way back to the Merchant’s Joy.

“You know,” Neah started as they walked along the road, “I was surprised they let us take a look at everything so easily.”

A smile crept onto the Aasimar’s lips as he turned to the Tiefling, his expression smug.

“Bahamut opens many doors, you know.”

Not breaking eye contact, the bard reached for a small notebook in their pouch, scribbling down a quick note about his remark and the silent promise to wipe that grin off his face eventually, before sliding it back into their bags.

“Well,” Brynn interjected good-heartedly, “sometimes the doors are opened by the Wildmother, too.”

Under his breath, Neah could hear Idras muttering something about having to learn the knock spell, making them bite back a grin as they just continued walking in silence.

Back at the tavern, it was noticeably emptier now, most people apparently having left for the night – though a few still remained, drinking in small groups or miserable solidarity. There was no sight of the mourning now-widow, but Tristan looked up as they entered.

“Ah, there you are. I already thought you had gone and skipped out on the tab.”

Realising that they, indeed, had just gone and walked out without paying for their drinks, the party exchanged quick looks – some mildly surprised, others outright embarrassed – before turning back to the tavern owner.

“We never would! Actually, we were wondering if you also have rooms available for the night?”

“Aye, that can be arranged. How many rooms are you looking for?”

Another round of glances cast at each other, before Talion spoke up.

“Two should be enough. For two nights? Maybe longer, we’ll see.”

The halfling nodded, mumbling a string of ‘alrights’ as he reached under the counter and then placed two keys down on top of the wood.

“Two rooms then, for two nights that will run you about four gold. I’ll put the drinks on a tab then, yeah?”

“That would be great”, Brynn replied with a smile. Tristan only sighed in response, pushing the keys towards them.

“Alright then. Rooms are on the first floor, up the stairs. Enjoy your stay.”

With that he returned to polishing a bunch of glasses, leaving the group to decide about who would room with whom in peace.

“I’m fine with any arrangement, really, as long as I can finally lay down in a bed.”, Neah said after a short pause, rubbing their sore shoulders. While they were used to camping in the wilderness, that didn’t mean it was always _comfortable._ And after the trek to this place, the softness and warmth of a proper bed was much coveted.

“You sleep on the floor.”, replied Talion without hesitation, but the grin on his lips showed that he was joking. If he wasn’t, the bard wasn’t sure what they were gonna do to him, really. Either way, it would make the dead werewolf look like a joke in comparison.

“Maybe Brynn and I share one room, and you two the other?”, Idras suggested. Nobody really complained about that – after all, they _had_ all already camped together for several nights now. The only difference here would be the fact, that they wouldn’t have to worry about insect crawling into their bedrolls or bandits trying to pay a visit in the middle of the night.

Sleep came to Neah quickly, the quiet murmur of Talion’s voice in evening prayer fading away as they drifted off into sweet slumber.

 

The next morning, the group reconvened again down in the tavern, sitting around one of their tables as breakfast was brought to them. After a proper night’s rest, Neah already felt _much_ better. Plucking apart a piece of bread into bite-sized bits, they popped one into their mouth before speaking.

“So, where should we go first? I know we have to visit the shifty dude in prison as well as the lady in the infirmary.”

“Maybe we go to the infirmary first? Depending on what we learn from her, we might know better what kind of things we want to ask Oakheart.”, suggested Brynn between two bites of smoked trout.

That made sense. For some reason, Neah had thought it would be most efficient to go directly to the prison and talk to Oakheart, but Brynn’s plan sounded much better.

“Sounds good to me.”

Idras only nodded in agreement, still seeming to fight off sleep as he brought his glass of firewhiskey to his lips. How he could drink something this strong _this_ early in the morning remained a mystery to the bard, but they decided not to question it. For now. Talion meanwhile thought about it for a moment, before shrugging.

“Fair enough. After breakfast then?”

More nodding, before the group fell back into silence, finishing their meal and thinking about what was to await them today.

Roughly half an hour later, they had all gotten ready and headed out, wandering the morning streets of the Turst Fields. Learning from his first attempt to guide the group on the evening prior, Talion announced that this time he was _not_ going to spearhead the search for the infirmary. Exchanging glances, the other three just shrugged, before Idras stepped forward.

Considering he had just downed quite a bit of booze, Neah was impressed with how sober he still seemed, nothing in his behaviour or speech betraying the influence of alcohol.

“I’ll get us there then. Follow me!”

Surprisingly enough – and to Talion’s moderately veiled frustration – it did not take too long for the Wizard to find his way around town, soon leading them right in front of the doors of the infirmary. Turning to the rest of his group with a pleased smile, he made a small hand motion at the building.

“Found it!”

“Sure did.”, Neah replied, impressed. “Shall we go inside then?”

Talion sighed. “Yeah, sure. Let’s get this over with.”

Taking this as his cue, Brynn stepped forward and past the others, bringing up a hand to knock on the heavy wooden gates. A few seconds passed, the four of them just standing there and waiting, before there was a soft clicking noise and the doors swung open. A middle-aged human male stood in the doorframe, looking at them in surprise and mild confusion. If his attire was anything to go by, he was most likely one of the doctors working here.

“Hello…? Can I help you?”

“Yes actually.” Brynn said amiably, addressing him first. “We heard about the attack yesterday and are investigating. If possible, we would like to talk to the woman who was assaulted?”

The doctor paused for a moment at that, eyeing them one after another – starting at the imposing form of the Wood Elf just in front of him, followed by Idras standing just behind him, once again clutching what was very obviously a spell book. Then the walking nightsky, condensed into the form of a Tiefling, and finally the ominous, hooded Aasimar in the back. Whatever he was thinking about them, he obviously decided that it was not worth the trouble of trying and make them leave.

“We were kind of hired by the Werewolf’s wife!”, Neah threw in helpfully.

He only gave a brief nod and stepped aside, allowing them to enter one by one before closing the door behind them.

“I understand. In this case, please follow me. She is awake, but I ask that you do not overexert her.”

With that, he led them down the hall and to a door in the back, knocking gently on it.

“Miss Gabriela? You have visitors.”

Announcing them, he nodded at the party, moving away from the door and freeing the way for them. Taking a deep breath, Neah reached out and placed a hand onto the door handle, pushing it open.


End file.
